


Forever

by asarahworld



Series: The Doctor and Rose Tyler [24]
Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/M, Post-Episode: s04e13 Journey's End
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-27
Updated: 2017-08-27
Packaged: 2018-12-20 10:24:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 593
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11918901
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/asarahworld/pseuds/asarahworld





	Forever

“Doctor?”  Rose poked her head into the hotel room that Jackie had booked for him as soon as it had become apparent that they were not going to make it back to London that night.  She’d only left him, this him, twenty minutes ago, but already she’d needed to see him again, to reassure herself that today hadn’t been a delusional dream.  To see that the Doctor was here, with her.

The Doctor leapt from the bed.  “ _Rose_ ,” he said, voice ragged.

“Doctor, what’s wrong?”  Rose was at his side instantly.  She’d never heard him like this before, his voice so rough and broken, face red.

“My head,” he whimpered.  “It’s so, so _empty_.”  His face was twisted in pain.

“It’ll be fine,” Rose soothed him.  “What’s wrong?”

“The TARDIS,” the Doctor said shakily.  “When I, when the other me,” he broke off.

“You’re still you,” Rose said gently.  “Until you… grew… you were and still are you.”

“When I stole her, all those years ago,” the Doctor said clearly, his eyes closed, “we… bonded.  A TARDIS bonds with her pilots, creates a sort of mental connection.”

“Like how she translates?”

“That’s a lot more basic, but a similar premise.  She’s been in my head, every second of my existence, for the past few hundred years.  And now she’s _gone_ ,” his voice cracked.

“Is there any way I can help?”  Rose asked, feeling helpless.  “You bonded with her, is there a similar mental… thing that we could do?”

“Rose, I can’t ask that of you.  You might not be able to sustain it, I might not even be able to initiate –”

“Tell me,” Rose said firmly.  She threaded her fingers through his.  “Tell me what to do.”

“If it does work, it’s permanent.  Rose, I need to you to understand that this isn’t something to enter into lightly.”

“If it helps you, that’s all I need to know,” Rose kissed his hand lightly.  “I’m holding you to what you said on that beach, yeah?  Forever.”

“Forever,” the Doctor echoed.

“Yes, I’m certain,” Rose anticipated his question.  “I’m already counting on spending the rest of our lives _together_.  If we can add something more from your culture to our life, then the answer is always _yes_.”

“Rose,” he searched her eyes longingly.

“My Doctor,” she smiled hopefully, reassuringly.  “If it’s something that you want, then I want it too.”  The Doctor seemed to uneasily gauge her response.  “I love you.  All of you.”  Not breaking eye contact, he lifted his hands to just above her temples.  His fingers trembled, ever so slightly, until Rose placed her own hands on top of his.  “Whenever you’re ready.”

The Doctor pressed his hands to her temples.  Rose… sensed a tiny blue thread in her consciousness.  “Doctor?”  She breathed.

“Try to walk towards me.  In your mind, move yourself towards me.  I should be something small, almost unnoticeable,”

“You’re beautiful,” Rose sighed happily, following the blue thread.

The emptiness in the Doctor’s head subsided now that he was (temporarily) connected to Rose.  He instantly was more relaxed, more at ease with himself.  He wondered how long this bond would hold, how long Rose would be able to stand being linked to him in such an intimate way.

 _Forever_ , her mental signature was aglow, golden tendrils furling around his mind.  _My Doctor._

 _Rose_ , he thought, feeling a wave of love washing over him.  _You’re projecting, love_.  He tried the endearment, quite liking how it rolled off, well, not his tongue, but the mental equivalent.  The emotion intensified.

 _I know_.


End file.
